I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Abyss by Nicholas Binge Published by Tor Nightfire on May 12 2026
Genres: Adult, Horror
Pages: 160
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Nicholas Binge combines cosmic horror with biting commentary on big corporations in this short and entertaining novella.
Nicholas Binge is such a good writer, and Abyss was a fun, mind-bending story with some Lovecraftian horror elements, hence the tentacled creature on the cover. It’s also a cautionary tale of corporate greed and how big companies devour their employees, and although I’m sometimes hesitant to read books with heavy social commentary, this time it really worked for me.
Joe is a twenty-something man who has just been hired by a company called Ponos. When he arrives on his first day of work, the building—an austere black concrete block—appears to be empty. There’s no one to greet him in the lobby, and things only get weirder from there. When Joe finally connects with someone, a harried man named Virgil, he’s instructed to log in to his computer and complete a list of daily tasks, one of which includes checking in throughout the day with an AI program called WellBot.
As Joe makes his way through the seemingly empty office (trying to find printer paper for one of his tasks), he stumbles upon random workers doing impossibly odd things. WellBot won’t leave him alone, and Virgil keeps giving him cryptic messages that make no sense at all. Something dark and evil lives in the basement of Ponos, and it’s up to Joe to stop it—before he loses himself forever.
Binge does a great job of creating tension right from the beginning. From the looming Ponos building to the empty offices, Joe is way out of his comfort zone and must dig deep to figure out how to even get out of the building. I loved the sense of unease that just keeps growing as the things Joe encounters become more and more menacing. The horror lurking deep in Ponos is a cosmic nightmare, and the author even comes up with a plausible reason and backstory for its existence. Expect some body horror, although most of the unsettling moments are more psychological in nature.
Joe represents your typical twenty-something worker, struggling to stay afloat in today’s economy and finding comfort and escape in social media instead. Joe spends hours a day watching YouTube videos (when he can’t sleep) and doom scrolling the rest of the time. His phone is his lifeline and companion, so when he starts his job and loses his phone at one point, his life is thrown into chaos. We all know the downfalls of social media and constant cell phone usage, but I liked the way the author used it here, to show how Joe has become isolated from so many people in his life, especially his beloved mum. Lucky for Joe, the events at Ponos become so extreme that they shock him back into awareness.
My favorite theme, though, was the idea of how big corporations suck their employees dry (literally in some cases!). Binge satirizes these companies in so many ways, like the motivational posters plastered all over Ponos’s walls (“client focused” and “productivity” are big buzzwords for them), and even though productivity is up and employees are working harder than ever (as Joe finds out when he runs into one such employee), their lives haven’t improved at all. In fact, they are much worse. And I have to mention that I was curious about the name “Ponos” and looked it up. If you’re a fan of Greek mythology you’ll already know who it is, but let’s just say it’s a nice little Easter egg that makes the story even better.
Things turn even weirder when Virgil enlists Joe to save the day and stop the horrors deep inside Ponos. I loved the mind-bending climax and the way Binge gives readers a nice, emotional ending.
If you haven’t read Nicholas Binge yet, Abyss is a great place to start!
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
Great review, Tammy! I love the themes of this novella and that it contains cosmic horror. And of course love the Greek mythology wink as well. Sounds really good!
Thanks Stephanie! You would definitely appreciate the mythology elements:-)
Excellent review! I’ve been looking forward to reading this, and now even more so.
Thank you!
This is so my type of story! Thanks for the great review. Off to check out my next new author!
Thanks Laura! I hope you get the chance to check it out.
This sounds weird and pretty great! Corporate horror can be so clever!
I’ve seen several “corporate horror” books around lately and they are very timely!
Sounds like an interesting read! Though you mentioned body horror, which is not something I enjoy, so I’ll probably avoid it.
There’s not much body horror but it is pretty intense!
Lovely review, it sounds like this one has a lot of food for thought involved and messages dotted throughout in a clever rather than in your face manner. Im not sure its my type of read, on the weirdness side of things, but you’ve definitely made it sound tempting and I’m intrigued.
Thanks Charlotte! It’s perfect if you like weird and you need something quick to read.
I’ll have to tell my nephew about this one…he loves Lovecraftian horror. 😀
He might like it! The Lovecraftian parts aren’t the focus, but I loved the way the author made them fit.
I can’t wait to read this one – tentacles!!!!
You are the first person I thought of when I saw the cover!
I wasn’t aware of Ponos, but when you said it was related to Greek mythology it had me thinking/wondering if the name Virgil just as intentionally chosen. I enjoy those sorts of details, when I’m aware of them, anyway. 🙂
Oh good point, Todd! I hadn’t thought of the name Virgil, but it makes sense.
Oh this looks delightful! I enjoy corporation books (probably because it isn’t my daily life), and this sound absolutely soul sucking. Plus its a novella, which is always a bonus
It was a quick read and just the right length:-)
This sounds crazy in the best way! I didn’t know who Ponos was, so I had to look the name up…HA!
Right?? Very clever.
I received an eARC of this book and I knew you would read it before I did. I’m glad to hear that it’s a great book. Thank you for your review!
I hope you enjoy it!
Well it’s true that corporations can suck their employees dry LOL
I think that’s why I enjoyed it so much, it rang true!
Excellent review, Tammy! I have a bit of a soft spot for Lovecraftian horror, especially as the stuff I read is generally well written and mostly has a humorous twist. This sounds right up my alley – especially as the work place seems to be getting increasingly awful compared to when I started out as a bright-eyed young thing in the 1970s!!
I missed out on Binge’s last book but hoping to get to this one. Glad they are bite sized novellas!
Mmm, probably not for me tbh but happy to see you enjoyed it and I like the relevant of the themes, particularly the use of the phone and how people fall down a rabbit hole.
Lynn 😀